


Carlos Reyes needs a lifetime supply of Advil

by Somebodytell_them



Series: Austin’s favorite Headache [4]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020), 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020) RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:06:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23812774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somebodytell_them/pseuds/Somebodytell_them
Summary: TK is back on it, learning and figuring out how to grow up with the help of his family.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Austin’s favorite Headache [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683256
Comments: 8
Kudos: 153





	1. You give me Migraines

TK and Carlos had actually been trying real hard to get the young firefighter to meet Carlos’ family. 

He’d even prepped TK on everyone so at least he wouldn’t be completely lost. Like right now, they were setting in Carlos’ living room, photo albums spread everywhere with take out Chinese cooling on the coffee table. Carlos was obviously proud of his family and TK honestly could spend hours just watching him talk. 

“Ok, so my dad is Emmanuel, but everyone just calls him Manny, which is what he’ll insist you call him, but only after I introduce him as Emmanuel to you.” The younger man nodded, trying to burn the image of Carlos’ father in his head. Emmanuel was a tall man, easily as tall as Judd, and the spitting image of an older Carlos, with the same squarish shaped face and beautiful dark brown eyes, only Carlos had his mother’s nose.

“Up next is my mama, who will just tell you to call her mama, but I’ll introduce her as Carlota. Before you ask, yes I was named after her. I’m the baby and the only one who wasn’t named after my father or his family.” TK nodded, looking at the picture. It was clear that Carlos had gotten his height from his father, because Carlota was a teeny little woman. She looked like the kind of lady who’d make cookies for the whole neighborhood, and he had dark green eyes. She had the same nose as Carlos, and the same grin TK would know everywhere. 

“I have two older siblings, a brother and a sister, both married. These are the people that I’m worried about, because they like to make fun of me because I’m the baby. Horacio is the oldest, he’s ten years older than me and likes for everyone to know that. This is his wife Nina and their two year old daughter Sara.” Carlos handed him another picture of a cute little family, continuing to talk about Horacio and his upcoming birthday party, apparently the man was hostile about turning forty. 

Horacio definitely looked like his dad, dark skin, dark eyes and a look on his face that said he’d either hug you or kill you. He looked like he meant business. 

His wife on the other hand, was more light skinned. She had long curly hair and emerald green eyes. She was also tall, only standing a few inches shorter than Horacio. Their daughter Sara, perched on Nina’s hip and grinning goofily to the camera was also light skinned. She had her mother’s eyes, wild hair and smile, but TK wouldn’t doubt that this little girl could pull off the same look her dad had. 

Carlos was still digging for recent photos, giving time for TK to take photos of the baby pictures, just to have on his phone.

“Aha! Here it is! This is my older sister Olivia and her Husband Victor. This is their son Mark, they adopted him four years ago. He just turned thirteen.” Olivia, like her mother was a tiny woman with short curly hair but that’s where the resemblance stops in TK’s opinion. From there she’s like a tiny version of her dad, down to the dark eyes and serious face. Her husband Victor, dark eyes and grinning with glee, looks like a goofball, but that could be because in the picture he’s wearing a hot pink jumpsuit and posing goofily with the little boy Mark, whom is wearing his own bright jumpsuit, but his is green. The boy did stand out from his darker family, almost as pale as TK. 

“That was Halloween. Olivia refused to dress up and I’m not sure what Mark and Victor were trying to be.” Carlos was laughing at the picture, clearly remembering something more about that Halloween than he let on.

“What’s going through your head?” Snapping back up, Carlos looked at TK, a hesitant smile on his face.

“That was four years ago, right before they adopted him. Mark was hesitant about letting them adopt him and Olivia thought it was her fault. We all got together for this big dinner before trick or treating with cousins, just trying to show mark that he’s part of the family. I took it one step further and told him that I was planning on coming out to the family that night. I remember, he started crying and said ‘me too’. So we came out together, and he told Olivia that he wanted to make sure she was ok with the son she had before adopting.” Carlos was crying now, looking at the picture of his family. 

“Mark was crying, he thought Olivia and Victor wouldn’t want a gay son, which in turn had everyone crying watching Olivia and Victor trip over themselves trying to assure him that they loved any and every part of him. Now, every year they take him to pride and do their best to show him that they don’t care. It was quite funny the first few months. Victor went out and bought like fifty pride pins, handing them out to everyone in the family, and neighbors, just whoever would take one.” Carlos still wasn’t looking at him, but digging for more pictures of Mark, and TK knew right there that this man was going to be his forever. He wasn’t leaving Carlos Reyes until he asked him too.

“Here’s a picture of my aunt Pepa, she’s the-“ Turning back around to look at TK, Carlos is cut off with a kiss. TK was cupping both of his cheeks, and kissing him so tenderly, you’d think Carlos was made of glass. 

Letting go, TK scooter closer to Carlos, leaning his head on the other man’s shoulder, looking up at him. 

“Sorry, you’re just too cute to handle. Continue.” 

Grinning, Carlos pecked TK’s lips and began another story about his family and how ridiculous they were when he graduated from the academy. 

Sitting on the hard ass floor, back pressed against the metal bar of the coffee table, listening to Carlos talk about how his family, TK wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

-.-.-.-.-

“What is your favorite color?” 

“It’s green, TK.” 

“Perfect, when were you born?” 

“You know this? December fifteenth, nineteen eighty-seven.” 

“I was fact checking!” Walking into Owen’s backyard where the 126 was waiting on them, the team caught both the end of the conversation and Carlos’ eye roll TK couldn’t see as he stumbled out the sliding door with a notebook in hand.

“What is your favorite food?” Carlos turned to face TK, a look of both irritation and fondness. 

“What do you think my favorite food is?” TK immediately shook his head, not even noticing the eyes on him yet. 

“No, you have to tell me because if I’m wrong I look like a terrible boyfriend.” With exasperation written on his face, Carlos took two steps forwards, grabbed TK’s face in his hands and kissed him. 

“It’s fish now will you stop for just a minute?” Tk nodded, and Carlos turned to walk down the steps, Tk following.

“Wait what kind of fish?” Carlos turned, snatched the book from TK, and walked across the yard to hand it to Grace. 

“Do not give this back to him until we’re leaving.” The woman nodded, sticking it beside her purse while TK pouted. 

“What’s this all about anyways?” Judd asked. 

Carlos put an arm around a blushing TK, who suddenly thought his shoes were the most important thing to look at right now.

“Tk is under the impression he doesn’t know me, so for the past two weeks, all he’s been doing is asking me questions that he thinks a boyfriend should know, and then asking me again just to make sure he wrote them down correctly.” The younger man’s face resembled a tomato at this point, refusing to look up at his teammates’ coos. 

Grace smiled, remembering the conversation in her kitchen that night. “I mean, that is kind of sweet though.” Carlos nodded in agreement, kissing the side of his boyfriend’s head. 

“Yes it is, I’m a lucky man.” 

-.-.-.-

Once TK had managed to calm down, he decided to help Grace and Mateo in the kitchen, leaving everyone else outside sitting on the deck. 

Owen and Michelle both decided to have a drink, and soon everyone joined suit except for Carlos.

“TK won’t be mad if you have a drink Carlos. He really doesn’t care as long as you don’t get shit faced.” Owen tried to hand him a beer, but he turned it down again.

“Nah, it’s not like that. I just don’t want to tonight.” Michelle gave him a questioning look,and as if to spite him, opened her mouth. 

“What’s so special about tonight?” Carlos glared at her, his eyes cutting to an equally interested Owen, signaling that it wasn’t a conversation to have in front of his boyfriend’s dad. 

“Owen why don’t you go help Grace?” The man pouted, looking so much like TK in that moment Carlos almost found him cute. Almost.

“But I wanna know!” Everyone on the deck was looking at him now, even Tim and Nancy were giving him looks telling him to get the hell inside. 

Sighing, Owen got up, eyes following him until he was far enough inside not to hear them, then eyes turned back to Carlos. 

“It’s sort of private y’all.” 

Marjan snorted. “That’s why we want to know.” 

Groaning, Carlos ran a hand down his face. “TK won’t have sex with me if I’ve been drinking. It’s a rule he’s had since we got together, and he’s off tomorrow, so I’m not touching a beer.” Nancy and Paul laughed, but Marjan only smirked at him. 

“How long has it been?”

They could barely hear his reply. “About two months.”

Even Judd got into the conversation, looking at Carlos in sympathy. “Damn, a month? Were you in trouble or something?” Carlos shook his head.

“No, after the sleepover at his house I didn’t want to push him, just in case, and then he got that damn notebook and it’s been the hugest cock-block ever since.” Judd laughed, leaning down beside Grace’s empty chair to pick up said book. 

“I can go toss it on the fire if you want me too?” Carlos laughed, but shook his head, waving for Judd to put the notebook back. 

“No, it’s sweet what he’s doing, but I am going to throw it across his living room when we get home.” They all laughed at him, only looking up when Mateo came outside.

“Speaking of, how is his place? I hear you’re over there quite a lot.” Carlos shrugged, taking a sip of his Pepsi. 

“I mean it’s fine, he definitely has more space which is nice, but it’s kinda weird though. He keeps buying stuff for his place that looks almost identical to what I’ve got at mine, and he gives me this look every time he comes home to me using pots and pans.” TK the past two months since the sleepover, has been buying a bunch of pots and pans that were either the same one’s Carlos had or nicer. Well most of TK’s were nicer, Carlos had been meaning to get new kitchen supplies, but every time he tried going to the store, TK already had the stuff, so usually he ended up cooking dinner there. 

Mateo giggled at Carlos’ comment, nodding at Judd who sent him a knowing look. 

Carlos looked between the two of them, confusion all over his face. 

“Am I missing something?” 

Through his half giggles, Mateo turned to face Carlos.

“The man clearly wants you to move into his place. You said it yourself, yours is small, so maybe TK is trying to feel it out, you in his home.” He shrugged, taking another sip of his beer. 

“You really think so?” They all nodded at him, and Nancy gave him a wide grin.

“I did the same thing with my husband. I wasn’t quite ready for him to move in, but my place was a whole lot nicer and had more room, so I bought some stuff he liked, to kinda see how it’d look.” Carlos opened his mouth to say something else when the Sliding door opened again, and wonderful pans of food came out of it.

Then Grace said the magic words. 

“I know y’all must be starving, so let’s eat!” 

-.-.-.-

When they got home that night, TK turned to Carlos, a soft smile on his face. 

“I want to meet your parents. I’m off Saturday.” The Latino would be lying if he said his heart didn’t skip a beat. 

“I’ll call them.” With that he took TK into his arms and straight to bed, the younger man giggling the whole way. 

-.-.-.-

Saturday came around quicker than TK had expected, and before he knew it, he was in the car, a dish of tamales Carlos made (and refused to let him touch) in his lap, and on the way to the Reyes family house. Carlos was just as nervous as he was, and unfortunately for TK was terrible at hiding it. 

“‘Los, you have got to calm down, cause I’m freaking out and that means you can’t.” Carlos chuckled weakly, pulling into the driveway of asmall brick house. 

They both sat there for a moment, and just when TK was beginning to think Carlos regretted bringing him hear the man spoke up.

“Look, my family can be a bit much, so just don’t get scared off please.” TK only smiled, grasping Carlos’ hand. 

“Let’s do this Reyes.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TK is meeting the Reyes family and coming to a conclusion along the way.

The Reyes Family Recipe for Marriage 

New Characters!

Carlota and her Husband Emmanuel 

Horacio and his wife Nina and their daughter Sara 

Oliva and her husband Victor and their son Mark.

The Reyes family was everything TK expected them to be. They were, welcoming, loud, affectionate, and exactly like Carlos. 

-.-.-

Emmanuel and Carlota gripped him in a hug as soon as they walked in the door, completely ignoring Carlos, much to his annoyance.

“Hey, mama, it’s your only son here? I matter too ya know?” Carlota huffed, leaning back from TK as Emmanuel moved the younger man to look him in the eye.

“You hurt my son, I bury you? Do you understand little fireman?” TK nodded, and Carlos gasped dramatically, handing the food to his mama. 

“Papi, we don’t want to scare him off!” Emmanuel only grinned, a stark contrast to his serious looking face and for a moment TK finally understood how Carlos was the perfect half of both of his parents. 

Olivia grinned, hugging Carlos and Shaking TK’s hand. “I don’t think Papi is going to scare him off, I think that’ll be Mark when he finds out you his not only a boyfriend from us, but a gringo as well.” She had a mischievous look on her face as she talked to the pair of them, making her father huff a laugh, and as if she summoned them herself, the rest of the Reyes family came running up. 

First was the little boy TK recognized from the pictures, and he spared no one a passing glance as he launched himself at Carlos with a yell. “Tió!” Carlos caught the boy with surprising accuracy, grinning back at him in a way that made TK’s heart flutter. 

A voice coming from his left, startling TK and he turned to see Horacio holding the little girl he knew to be Sara. “Oh the gringo is done for.” Blushing when all eyes went to him, TK held his hand out to shake the three adult’s hands. 

“Hi, I’m TK you must be Horacio and Nina.” They both smiled, shaking his hand and TK turned to Victor. “And you must be Victor, it’s nice to meet you.” Before anymore pleasantries could be said at this quite frankly wild interaction, Mark jumped from Carlos’ arm and stood in front of TK. He glared at TK with all of his thirteen years and crossed his arms.

“My papi and uncle don’t have to warn you what will happen if you hurt my uncle, cause if you make him cry I’ll hit you harder than they can.” Olivia reached out to grab her son, shooting a glare at her brother and parents for laughing when TK held up his hand, flashing her a smile. 

“How about this? If I hurt your uncle Carlos, I’ll let you get to me first.” Mark nodded at that, going to stand back beside his father as Carlota began ushering them back to the living room. 

“Have a seat, dinner is almost finished! And no more threatening the company!” With that she turned around, Olivia and Nina already following behind her. 

Carlos and TK sat on the loveseat, Emmanuel easing himself into an armchair next to TK as Horacio, Sara, Victor, and Mark plopped on the long couch. After about three seconds of silence, Horacio spoke.

“So TK, you do know that if you hurt my brother I’ll kill you right?” Victor nodded, as did Mark from his spot beside Sara. Emmanuel just gave TK a look that said he didn’t need to threaten, he just would.

“Stop it!” Carlos complained, wrapping an arm tighter around TK. TK blushed but nodded at the two. “I’d never hurt him, I-I adore him.”

Carlos stiffened for a moment, all too sure about what TK almost said, and in the same second, relaxed, smiling and leaning down to kiss TK’s cheek. “I love you too Tiger.” 

The nickname sent a wave of teasing from Horacio and Victor, cracking up at the jokes they were making and Carlos desperately trying to defend his boyfriend from the teasing. 

Just watching them, TK felt an ache he never felt with Alex, a feeling of just knowing that he already loved these people and Carlos. Losing himself in the embarrassing stories Horacio and Victor told about Carlos, and watching the Latino turn red, TK began to ponder something.

If this is what love felt like? Then what mediocre thing did he have for Alex? 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It wasn’t long until Carlota stuck her head in, calling everyone for dinner. Hand wrapped tightly in Carlos’, TK made his way to the table where he was instructed to sit. 

Watching Carlos get handed two plates by Olivia whom was working on three herself, TK went to stand, only to have Nina throw him a look as she sat down beside him, Horacio sitting at the foot of the table. “Oh I can make my own plate, you don’t have to do that.”

Nina shook her head, setting Horacio’s food in front of him, and bringing Sara a baby plate to her high chair and moving the chair between her and Horacio. “It’s a Reyes thing, the women make the plates if they’re married and whomever is a Reyes brings a plate if you’re only dating.” TK opened his mouth to protest, but Olivia, whom had just handed her husband and son theirs, shook her head as she sat her own plate across from TK. 

“It does you no good to argue. They’ll do it anyways.” Instead of arguing, TK nodded as Carlos came back with their plates, his mom behind him. Carlos sat on his other side, with his father at the head of the table, and Carlota, Mark, Olivia, and Victor on the other side. 

Dinner floated by easily, and afterwards Carlota pushed everyone out back. They all played in the yard except her and Emmanuel . They just sat on the back porch and just watched them. Nina and Mark has went to bed shortly after dessert and that left the adults time to be adults. Nobody batted an eye to TK’s statement of not drinking, only offering him a cola instead. 

Half of the neighborhood it seemed migrated their way and soon TK was being introduced to so many people he couldn’t remember names. Someone pulled out a speaker and began playing music. TK knew a few of the songs, but most of them were in Spanish so he didn’t quite get them. Carlos stayed beside him the entire time, grinning and showing of TK like a little kid who got a good grade on a test. TK forgot why he was even nervous in the first place, because the look of complete happiness on Carlos’ face every time TK talks to one of his family members, or even a neighbor, makes TK want this night to never end.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Carlota could tell from the moment they’d walked in the door that TK Strand was here to stay. Her baby boy just lit up with him by his side and she couldn’t be happier for the two. Watching the two of them from her chair, Carlos was showing TK moves to a dance the gringo was just doing perfectly fifteen minutes ago with Nina. The younger man seemed so in love with her son it reminded her of herself and Emmanuel all those years ago. 

Carlota knew of the rough start with TK and Carlos, her son trusted her with everything. He of course never told his father, because then he, Horacio and Victor would have killed TK before she set the table. She knew that TK was going through some things, she could see it on the boy’s face when he walked in the door, but she also watched the way TK looked to Carlos during the night. To translate things when he spoke to neighbors who didn’t speak English, for permission when someone who wasn’t family asked TK to dance, and the way he looked at her son when nobody was looking. Like Carlos hung the moon.

She grinned to herself, already making a note. 

TK strand was going to be around for a long long time. 

-.-.-.-.-

To be honest, it was like a movie for TK. Here he was in Austin Texas, underneath the moon and what seemed like a million stars, dancing with a man who looked at him so fondly it made TK’s chest tighten. Carlos was honestly everything Alex should have been. Carlos, who was cradling TK so close to his body while they slow-danced, whispering little jokes in case TK was still nervous. He wasn’t, but Carlos was always sweet enough to still check in. 

Tk looked up from his spot on Carlos’ chest and stopped moving, startling the older man for a second. “Tyler? What is it?” Those brown eyes, so full of concern. This is the man that waited for months for TK to even be ready to get into a relationship, the one who called the fire station every other week to make sure everything was good with Owen and more often than not brought in food for the team just as an excuse to say hi to TK. Carlos remembered important things and even little things even Owen forgot. Carlos Reyes was the man who was wanted to move in with TK even when the younger man hadn’t said ‘I love you’ yet. Well he thought it, but saying it out loud was the hard part. He didn’t know why, but he knew he was never going to find someone so willing to put up with his bullshit. Carlos Reyes loves him through all of his faults and has waited a year to hear these three little words, so god dammit TK was going to say them. 

“I love you Carlos Reyes.” Carlos froze, as did Victor and Olivia, whom were dancing closely beside them. 

“I love you, and I’m sorry it took me a year to say it, and perhaps the best place isn’t in front of your entire family, but god I love you.” TK went to pull back, afraid he broke his boyfriend and needed to throw some water on him or something, but when he went to move, Carlos pulled him back, and kissed him fiercely. The taller man pulled back, a smile etched onto his face. “I love you too, say it again.” TK chuckled, cupping the man’s cheeks.

“I love you Reyes.” Ignoring the coos of everyone around them, TK kissed Carlos again. 

Carlos pulled back, a sheepish grin on his face. “One more time?” 

“I love you, Carlos.” 

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, baby, Anytime.” 


End file.
